Basic Skills Training

A new report produced by advisory firm Bersin & Associates of Oakland, California, notes that companies replenished their training staffs and thus enabled employees to pursue career development put off during the recession.

I work in the training and development department of a company that competes in the cellphone industry. Each of our departments has very specific tasks and functions. That got me wondering: Are training departments becoming obsolete in today's specialized companies?
—Ruminating on Our Future, training officer, services, Perth, Australia

In 2010, Hewlett-Packard Co. launched HP Sales University on its campus in Plano, Texas, far from its Silicon Valley headquarters. The purpose: develop core business skills and collaboration among its top salespeople.

Some jobs require certification, though other companies say they want nothing to do with an HR practitioner with an acronym after their name. HR Certification Institute officials say that while certification has long been preferred, it is now a requirement for some jobs, thus fueling demand for the credentials.

The declining number of teenage job seekers presents a super-size challenge for McDonald’s, where 40 percent of the top 50 managers—including CEO James Skinner—worked their way up from the cash register or fry vat, and which more than ever needs qualified workers to keep service from bogging down in an era of computerized cash registers and electronic ovens.

I recently was put in charge of plantwide training for our manufacturing company. Internal training is critical for us. How do I develop a needs-analysis template or a general guideline to help supervisors/managers identify performance gaps?

We have encountered a problem with individuals failing to show up for required training opportunities. We want to assess a no-show penalty but don’t know who is more accountable: managers or the employees themselves?